Improvement in paper-making machinery



G. E.,RUTLEDGE." PAPER MAKING MAGHINERY.

No. 38,698. Patented May 26,1863.

Witnesses Inventor UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

G. E. RUTLEDGE, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN PAPER-MAKING MACHINERY.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,698, dated May 26, 1853; antedated November 21, 1861.

and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying draw ings and letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification;

My invention is confined to the pulp-vat,

and has for its object the production of a paper wherein the fibers are so thoroughly crossed andfelted together as to render the webor tissue equally strong in all directions.

In the complete continuous system of machinery for paper-making'invented by Four drinier my improvement is not applicable, nor is it required, the paper made by that apparatus being of such a quality, so far as the disposition of the fibers is concerned, and the consequent equal tenacity of the tissue in all directions, as to leave little to be desired; but the machinery of. Fourdrinier is expensive, and consequently not used by manufacturers of small capital.

In the commonly-used and comparatively inexpensive apparatus to which my improvement is applicable a sieve-cylinder is made to revolve in the pulp-vat. The level of the water within the cylinder being maintained by a discharge-pipe at a lower altitude than that of of the pulp in the vat, a pressure is thus ex erted by the pulp outside the cylinder, causing the water to drain through the meshes of the wiregauze, and the fibrous portion of the pulp to adhere on the outside of the same. As the sieve-cylinder revolves, the web of incipient paper is carried therefrom by contiguous movmg web of felt, 860., as is well understood by those skilled in and conversant with the art of paper-making.

It will be evident, on a short consideration, that the revolution of the sieve-cylinder in the still liquid pulp of the vat-will have a tendency to draw or comb the suspended fibers into a direction longitudinal to the revolution of the cylinder. The web of paper thus formed on the cylinder may be expected, therefore, to possess less tenacity in a longitudinal than in "a transverse direction, and this is found, in

fact, to be the case, a quick eye being able even to detect in unsized paper thus made the longitudinal arrangement of the fibers.

Now, my invention relates to the neutrali zation ol this action of the revolving cylinder to arrange the fibers parallel to each other in alongitudinal direction; and it consists in .the establishment ofacurrentin theliquid pulp in the direction of rotation of sieve-cylinder, and

of about equal velocity therewith, by means of a pair of revolving corrugated or paddle cylinders and auxiliary partitions arranged in the pulpyat, the axes of said cylinders being parallehto the axis of sieve-cylinder. These paddle cylinders, being set in motion, tend to produce a current in the liquid pulp in the direction of the revolution of the sieve-cylinder,- and of about equal velocity therewith, so as tw" render the periphery of said sieve cylinder and liquid pulp surrounding it virtually at rest relative to each other. Thus, the fibers in sns pension in the water are left in the best con dition for felting, lying in. all directions, and the web adhering to the sieve-cylinder is found more equally felted together, and possesses greater uniformity of strength in all directions.

In order that others duly skilled may be enabled to understand and construct and use my invention, I shall proceed to describe it in detail. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the pulp-vat and contained cylinders, including my improvement. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Like letters of reference designate like parts in all the drawings. I

A is the pulp-vat, and a is the curved sec- .ondary floor of the same.

B is the sieve-cylinder, on which the paper is formed. As, however, this cylinder is of common construction, I shall not further describe 2 asses pulp-vet,-- placed with their axes parallel to the axis of sieve-cylinder, and their corrugations or puddles gearing or meshing into each other. The floor a is fitted around the outer circumference of cylinder 0, and a concave, 0, is thrown across the vet and curved to fit the circumference of cylinder 0. A diaphragm, d, curved in adirection parallel, ornenrly so, to thesievecylinder B, together with the partitions e and f, completes the nrrangcmentfor securing the currents mentioned in the introduction to this specification.

X is a. pulley on shaft of cylinder .0, for receiving a. belt from any prime mover, and by menus of cogged pinions :0 :r the cylinder. U is put in corresponding motion thereby. The sieve-cylinder is put in motion by another cylinder resting on top, having felt-web for carrying ott' the pnper passing around. As, however, this forms no part of my invention, I refrain from describing it further or representing it in the drawings.

The operation of my invention is asfollows: The sievecylinder B being put in revolving motion in the direction of the arrows, and the corrugated cylinders O G being likewise put in motion int-he direction of thenrrows thereon marked, the pulp in the vet A will be putinto motion, and two currents will he formed, the one above the diaphragm d, in the direction of the revolution of sieve-cylinder, as shown by the arrows, and the other beneath said diaphragm, in the opposite direction, toward the revolving cylinders G G, as shown likewise by arrows. By adjusting the relative sizes of pulleys and driving-wheels the velocity of movement in cylinders G .0 may he so controlled as to cause the currents in pulp-vat to be about equal in velocity to the movement of the periphery of sievecy'linder B, and thus the said periphery of sieve-cylinder will be relntively at rest in the fluid pulp. The result of this arrangement and operation will be, as already explained in the introduction, that the fibers are deposited on the surface of sieveeylinder, lying in all directions, and thoroughly felted together, f'ormin g a paper, when pressed and dried, which is equally strong in any direction.

The advantages of my invention have al- I ready been, in part, set forth, but I shall here recapitulate and show the further advantages. With my improvement pulp may he used with longer fiber, and consequently pulp which has been submitted for a shorter time to the comminntin g and disintegrating process. The cylinder B may likewisebe run withless suction or pressure, thus allowing it to revolve with less friction from the felt packing, and consequently with less wear. Further, with less pressure and a. longer fiber in the pulp there will be less loss of the flour. of pulp than by the present apparatus. Finnlly, as before stated, the paper produced will be equally strong in one direction as in another.

Hnving now described the several parts and operation and object of myinveution, together with its advantages, I proceed to'st'nte what Iclaim as new and desire by Letters Patent to secure:

Causing a current in th at portion of the fluid pulp in which sieve-cylinder B rotates in a direction corresponding therewith, by which the periphery of the cylinder and the fluid pulp in which it rotates are relatively at rest, for the purpose herein set forth.

G. E. RUTLEDGE.

Witnesses GEO. M. YOUNG, S. B. SHERMAN. 

